House Subcommittee Passes Funding for Nutrition Programs
FRAC: Alert - 5/04/06
On May 3, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee reported out its FY2007 funding bill for the Department of Agriculture.
Although details of the bill will not be public until later this week or just prior to full Committee action scheduled for next Tuesday, May 9th, highlights of some program funding have been released.
For more information, check the Subcommittee's highlights of the entire FY 2007 bill.
The Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee is not expected to take up its bill until after the Memorial Day recess (after the House passes its version).
On the other hand, additional funding was not provided to expand the Simplified Summer Food Program ("Lugar Pilots").
Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP): In a resounding victory for anti-hunger advocates, the Subcommittee rejected the Administration's proposal to eliminate funding for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) and provided $118.289 million for the program.
WIC: The Subcommittee funded the WIC Program at $5.244 billion ($40 million over FY2006 and $44 million over the Administration's request), and included $125 million in a WIC contingency reserve fund.
Anti-hunger advocates had been pushing for $5.38 billion to support an anticipated WIC monthly caseload of 8.2 million participants.
The Subcommittee appears to have justified a funding level of $5.244 billion based upon recent Administration estimates that lower the amount needed to adequately fund WIC because of stable food prices and slower than anticipated caseload growth.
The Subcommittee justified a reduction in funding based upon Administration estimates that food stamp participation is estimated to decrease by approximately 1.1 million participants in FY2007 compared to FY2006, apparently related at least in part to high Disaster Food Stamp Program use after Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma.
